1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a videoconference system, and in particular, to a videoconference system by which a plurality of users holds a videoconference with each other via a communication network.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 59-154840 discloses a teleconference system which can mutually connect a plurality of stations so that broadcasting type communication may be possible, can make each station being equipped with an input unit and a display device, can connect stations, which participate in a conference by the transmission of a conference request, including a conference participating station list, from a station, logically as a group, and can perform exclusive control of excluding an access to the display device and input unit from a station other than the group during group formation.
However, although the teleconference system performs the exclusive control of excluding an access from stations other than a group, there arises a malfunction that it is not possible to easily select a partner who can hold a teleconference or to easily perform initial registration work relating to a teleconference.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 60-178784 discloses an image receiving apparatus which has an image display device displaying a user's own image under transmission in a mirror image or a normal image on a half or a part of a screen at the same time of displaying an image from a partner.
However, although the image receiving apparatus displays an image under transmission from a user's own side with a communication partner's pickup image during operation of a videophone on an image display device, there arises a malfunction that it is impossible to easily select a partner who can perform a videophone or to easily select an image, which has been taken and recorded beforehand, and to transmit the image to a partner.
Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-71275 discloses a teleconference system that has a plurality of image pickup devices which take moving images of a plurality of conference attendants and a plurality of audible sound input devices of inputting audible sound, and in which a plurality of conference unit systems, transmitting moving image data and audible sound data from each device, is connected through a line. The teleconference system comprises an identification device of determining a speaker out of the plurality of conference attendants, a transmitter of generating identification information showing the speaker who is determined by this identification device and transmitting this identification information via the line, a receiver of receiving the identification information from the line, and a display device of dividing a screen into a plurality of areas, displaying the moving image of the speaker on a predetermined area of the divided screen on the basis of moving image data of the speaker corresponding to the identification information received by the receiver while displaying a still image of other conference attendants on the basis of moving image data of the attendants other than the speaker on another area of the divided screen.
However, although the teleconference system displays an image of a plurality of conference attendants on a screen, specifies a speaker, and performs moving image display in a predetermined area, there arises a malfunction that it is impossible to easily select a partner who can perform a videophone or to easily select an image, which has been taken and recorded beforehand, and to transmit the image to a partner.
In recent years, it becomes possible to hold a videoconference with other users through the Internet. Another known system is a system that a user's personal computer acquires and displays a list of plural users that are registered in a predetermined server on a network and ready for communication, and that the user can select a partner, whom the user expects, from the list and can perform a videophone type network meeting.
Generally, when a user logs in to a communication network such as the Internet to enable actual use, personal information such as a name, an address, a payment method of a charge, and an e-mail address which the user inputs is recorded in a predetermined server of a provider or the like, or a user's own communication terminal (communication equipment such as a personal computer, an electronic camera, or a cellular phone). However, up to now, when first starting software for a videoconference for communication via a network, it was necessary to input the personal information and the like anew. Hence, in spite of maintenance of an environment where a videoconference can be held, there arises a situation that users who do not like troublesome operation pass the time away without registering and using a videoconference system. Although a user tries the registration of personal information, there arises a malfunction that it is not possible to set the videoconference system in a state that the videoconference system can be used since the user fails the input of the personal information to be set in many items.
In the above-described network meeting system, there arises a malfunction that a user cannot look for a desired communications partner as a matter of fact since the number of users who can communicate and are registered into a server has reached a huge amount, that is, thousands of people with the spread of the Internet.
Moreover, in the above-described network meeting system, it is possible to acquire other users' names and addresses that are registered into a specific server, and the information of rough communication availability of whether other users have started application software for a specific network meeting, and to display them on a user's personal computer. However, since the information is displayed in characters with which the user can seldom recognize a communication partner easily, it is difficult to specify and select a desired communication partner in fact.
Furthermore, since a user cannot easily know information on whether a desired communication partner is ready for performing a network meeting and a plurality of status information about communication availability of the desired communication partner, there arises a malfunction that it is difficult to predict inconvenience which will be generated after actually performing a network meeting.
Up to now, during a network meeting with another user, when transmitting one or more images, which were taken by an electronic camera etc. and are currently recorded, to the partner, the user boots a file management program other than application software for a network meeting simultaneously, and commands transmission after selecting an image file that the user wishes to transmit. Nevertheless, even if the file management program displays a list of a file name including a drive name of a recording device or a directory name where the desired image is recorded, it is not possible to grasp the contents of an image only from a file name. Hence, the user performs such complicated image transmission operation that the user specifies the file name of the image to be sent, views and checks the image, and commands transmission thereafter.
Furthermore, when a plurality of images are sent, it is necessary to perform troublesome processing so as to send the plurality of images since it is necessary to perform the above-described processing for the plurality of images.